


Vengeance

by LazarusII



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, Darth Maul is Ruthless, Gen, Gore, Mention of possible suicide, Mild Horror, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Obi-Wan Loses Everything, Obi-Wan and Anakin Go With Ahsoka to Mandalore, Things Don't Go As Planned, Trail of Blood, Whumptober 2020, Whumptober Prompt Rewrite, hurt without comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:14:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27137146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazarusII/pseuds/LazarusII
Summary: Anakin and Obi-Wan accompany Ahsoka to Mandalore.Maul wins.And Obi-Wan loseseverything.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 8
Kudos: 55





	Vengeance

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> This is a slightly-altered version of the piece that I did for whumptober (can be found on my tumblr which is linked in the endnotes).
> 
> TWs: blood, mild gore, mention of possible suicide, implied graphic violence, major character death. 
> 
> I had this prepped and ready to post last week, but several medical issues threw all my plans for whumptober and writing out the window. Thought I might as well slap some warnings and tags onto this piece and finally get it out there! :))
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Obi-Wan was frozen, his mind refusing to comprehend what he was seeing. His lightsaber hung limply in his grip, fingers loose about the smooth metal. 

Heart thundering in against his ribs from his frantic sprint to arrive to get to the sewer junction, Obi-Wan struggled to slow his breathing, and to control the frantic, sharp gasps of air that his lungs fought for.

He’d been summoned—first by the screams in the Force, and then by comm. On his way to the location, however, he'd found that all the entrances to the lower sewer system had been blocked, save for the small maintenance shafts. Everything else was reduced to rubble—completely destroyed or welded shut from the inside. 

_“General—”_

From across the room, the Rex caught sight of Obi-Wan and shooed away Helix who had been tending to the blaster wound in his shoulder. Rising unsteadily to his feet, the Captain started towards Obi-Wan. Two steps later, however, the Rex’s complexion took on a rather ghastly, white pallor and his knees gave way. Helix cursed loudly and jumped forwards to support his brother before the man hit the floor.   
  


Despite the rather chaotic scene before him, Obi-Wan’s attention was still riveted on a spot several meters above the clone Captain and medic. He wasn’t the only one staring either, every now and then, the men of the 212th and 501st would turn and fix their gaze up upwards, eyes shadowed with a mix of pain and barely-concealed rage. 

A powerful, terrible sense anger simmered in the pit of Obi-Wan's stomach, and bled through the hairline fractures in his mental barriers, a far deeper and more potent sensation than he'd felt in a long time. 

Suspended against the far wall by large shards of durasteel and industrial construction materials, hung the 212th's Commander, red lifeblood glistening from the gruesome, gaping punctures in his armor. Visible in the half-light of the sewer junction, the red trails of blood glittered like narrow webbing as they ran down the wall, eventually pooling against the durasteel floor tiles. 

Cody. 

There was no explanation needed; Obi-Wan knew who was responsible.

Hell, they _all_ knew who was responsible. Everyone.

Obi-Wan tightened his grip on his lightsaber, struggling to compose himself. This was a message, a silent, twisted, grotesque challenge meant for him alone. Pursuing would be a trap, and exactly what Maul wanted. Between the former-Sith and his Mandalorian allies, he would be outnumbered, but what did it matter now?   
  


The rage inside of him expanded, a sensation that froze in his blood.   
  
  


_Maul_. 

Obi-Wan caught the sense of crushing _failure_ that raced through his mind, and shoved it back even as the anger and pain threatened to overwhelm mental shields. He would take men with him, he had to—and send a messenger topside to Anakin and Ahsoka. After all, comms would be useless once he entered the network of pipes—

“General,” Rex’s voice was raw with grief as he attempted to speak for a second time. “General Skywalker and the Commander are _already_ in pursuit.” 

Obi-Wan’s mind reeled. _How—_

_No.  
  
_

Blood began to roar in his ears. _This is was Maul’s game—his doing—_

Obi-Wan’s eyes snapped to the Captain, noting in the man’s ashen complexion and hollowed cheeks.

“How long ago?” Obi-Wan could hardly recognize his own voice, ice laced about his words. 

Rex shook his head, gaze falling to the floor. “I was going to go with them, but I’m stuck here, sir.” The Captain raised his hands before letting them drop back to his sides in defeat.

Obi-Wan noted the dark stain that crept into the bandages that swathed Rex’s shoulder, and felt his gaze soften. 

“Take care Rex, I’ll handle it. You are not at fault here.”   
  
  


“Thank you, Sir.” Rex’s face still reflected nothing short of pure desperation, but Obi-Wan could feel a slight sense of comfort make its way into the Captain’s presence. 

* * *

The Force was a whirlwind of darkness when Obi-Wan stepped into the main sewer line, boots splashing in the few centimeters of muck at the bottom of the pipe. Lightsaber held aloft, he squinted into the darkness, the wavering blue light causing everything the glitter ominously as he pressed on. 

How had he not felt it? Could he have been so blind? 

Anakin, Ahsoka... they had gone ahead of him, neither of them having confronted Maul before. Both were oblivious, ignorant—in so many ways—to the horrors that the Zabrak was capable of. The Sith knew no bounds, and had little sense of honor... 

The darkness was whispering, pressing into his ears, and Obi-Wan’s gaze found its eyes everywhere he looked—from the bubbles of the low-bearing waves to the faint traces of weathering along the durasteel walls. Chills ran down his spine. 

His heart was slowly beginning to drum against his ribs once more, a slow accelerando until it actively slammed against the inside of his ribs. Obi-Wan noted the dark stains drawing their erratic patterns across his vision, shining grotesquely into his eyes. The tang of metal met his nose.

Blood decorated the tunnel now, dripping faintly overhead and on all sides, an accompaniment to the hum of his blade and the faint whisper of his footsteps through the low water. 

Slowly, the tunnel began to brighten, the distant glow of an exit just barely visible.

With every step, Obi-Wan felt the dripping of dampness onto his tunic, the splatters and gore that lined the narrow passage thickening. 

The bodies— 

The fallen clones and Mandalorians—

He forced himself to stay calm, to not think of the implications, to imagine the battle that had taken place here. 

The darkness laughed at Obi-Wan, whispering all his worst fears, cackling and hailing the smoldering chunks of melted durasteel around him, remnants of the bite of a lightsaber. 

_‘Failure,’_ it hissed. ‘ _You’re too late.’_

But it wasn’t until he finally stepped into the next open junction, that Obi-Wan realized that, for all its corrupted words and deception—

The dark side was _right_. 

* * *

The tunnel junction was silent when Obi-Wan entered, the oppressive absence of sound punctuated only by the splash of his boots and the quiet hum of his lightsaber. 

It was dark, the room’s single strip of industrial lighting having been shattered in places and left flickering ominously. The remaining bulbs, however, cast _just_ enough light to reveal the ghastly sight before him. 

Around the room, Obi-Wan could feel the dark side humming, its power hanging thickly in the air like a poison, the silent whispering pressing against his mind and body, feeding off of his horror and pain. The smell of blood and death was so heavy that Obi-Wan could barely hold back the gagging sensation that threatened to overtake him. 

Slowly, Obi-Wan’s lightsaber began to dip, his arms falling to his sides as he stood in the mouth of the junction, eyes seeing—but his mind refusing to believe… 

Despair swamped across his senses, drowning even the soft mutters of the darkness beyond. 

All was silent. Even the hum of his lightsaber seemed to fade to a distant whisper. 

Anakin lay on his side, face turned away from Obi-Wan, partially submerged in the low-bearing water. Red lifeblood seeped from wounds that Obi-Wan, gratefully, could not see clearly in the ever-flickering, low light. The Force was dark around the man, an empty void. 

Things stopped registering in Obi-Wan’s mind. 

Around the man, scattered around the junction, were soldiers, red-armored Mandalorians, many missing limbs, their armor torn and decorated with drying blood. Not a single one of them was moving, their visors dark and impassive. Here and there, between their traitorous counterparts, white armor seeming to glow, lay the clones who had fought them, many still clustered and locked in battle even in death. 

Blinking slowly, mind numb, Obi-Wan’s gaze moved towards the center of the room, but he stopped at the sight of a familiar pair of lightsabers, glittering beneath the still surface of the water, lightsabers that Anakin had only _just_ returned to their rightful owner—

He couldn’t bear to look—he _couldn’t…_

With a heavy heart, Obi-Wan deactivated his blade and stepped into the room. 

This was a nightmare, it _had_ to be… the Force...

The Force couldn’t be this cruel… 

Eyes downcast, Obi-Wan moved beside Anakin, a hand extended towards the man’s shoulder—

Only to come up short as he heard a weak cough coming from nearby. 

Heart leaping into his throat, Obi-Wan leapt forwards. He knew that voice—

_“… Master.”_

Ahsoka lay beside Maul, a dark wound marring the fabric of her Mandalorian-gifted uniform, cuts and bruises forming a terrible latticework down her arms and chest, grime covering her face. 

As she stirred, small waves disturbed the still water, as she tried to reach out towards him. After a moment, her face contorted and the arm splashed down weakly. 

Heart pounding against his ribs, Obi-Wan hastened to her side, taking Ahsoka’s hand in his own as he knelt, feeling a horrible sense of finality in the way that the blue eyes blinked up towards him, glazed with pain, glittering in the half-light of the junction. 

“Master—I’m sorry—” 

“Ahsoka—”

“He…” Her eyes fluttered closed as emotion tore at her voice. “… got Anakin—I tried—Maul... just _ran_ into my lightsaber—I don’t understand why—” 

Ahsoka’s chest heaved, and Obi-Wan heard the telltale sound of broken bones shifting. He wanted her to _stop_ , to save her strength. But he knew, deep in his bones, that somehow this was the end, the final chapter in a story ended too soon, one granted too few pages... 

She didn’t deserve this. 

Obi-Wan held his former-Padawan’s hand to his heart, struggling to keep the pain from his expression. 

“You did what you could Ahsoka…” Obi-Wan tried to find words, but found his voice choking up, throat closing under the weight of his failure. 

He could have been here—he could have prevented _all_ of this… He’d been given the chance so many times... 

Through the Force, Ahsoka’s presence, discernible only because of contact, was fading. He felt her reach out, a soft brush of light that drifted into his core, a feeling that somehow washed away the remnants of the terrible, cold anger inside his mind. 

“I’m sorry… Master,” she whispered “—the Order… I left…” 

“No, Ahsoka.” Obi-Wan managed, “ _I’m_ sorry.”

Her presence was slipping, almost gone completely, and Obi-Wan felt a terrible, crushing pain sink into his chest. 

“It’s been an honor to... to have you as a Grandpadawan. I’m proud of you, Ahsoka… we _both_ are.” Tears sparked in Obi-Wan’s eyes as he spoke, blurring his vision.

A ghost of a smile move across Ahsoka’s lips, and her hand moved a fraction, lightly squeezing his own. 

_“Thank you, Master...”_ Her whispered voice came through the Force even as her expression stilled. 

Obi-Wan felt her presence flicker for a moment, and then fade from existence.

And then all was silent. 

_Fin_

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr [here](https://lazarusii.tumblr.com/) :))  
> Please feel free to leave kudo and comment on your way out, they really mean a lot! ❤️
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and may the Force be with you!


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